


in your warmth I forget how cold it can be

by redledgers



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends to Lovers, RAINSTORMS, trinket is a dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 06:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11248395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redledgers/pseuds/redledgers
Summary: a downpour is the worst thing to be caught in at the park with a dog and no car to get home.





	in your warmth I forget how cold it can be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seimaisin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seimaisin/gifts).



> title from bastille's warmth, which came on when I was writing this

Of course it had to be today of all days for Vax to drop her and Trinket off at the park and go to work. It’d been fine when the forecast called for light rain, but this? Walking home was out of the question in what was practically a torrential downpour. Trinket is soaked and huddling at her feet while Vex stands under the park office awning. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and calls the one person guaranteed not to be working at that moment. She didn’t even let him get a greeting in when he picks up. “Percival, darling, would you be so kind and pick Trinket and I up at the park?” And he does, of course, pulling up a mere ten minutes after she calls. There’s even towels for her and Trinket, so she lays them across the backseat and wraps the large dog up in two. “Thanks,” she says, kissing his cheek before buckling herself in the front seat.

She doesn’t realize at first that he’s driving to his place on the outskirts of the city until he takes a left instead of the right that would bring her home. She must have made a face he caught, because he says, “My bathroom is bigger.” When she gapes, he adds, “for Trinket” and points to the backseat. Trinket woofs sadly in reply. He’s right though, Trinket would drench the entire bathroom in her apartment.

The parking garage in Percy’s building is a blessing, and Vex can’t wait to peel herself out of her still sopping wet clothes. They must look a sight to the people in the lobby, but Percy pays them no mind and hastily ushers Trinket into the elevator, down the hall, and right into the bathroom. Together they manage to coax him into the shower before he can shake all over the furniture. Vex trails behind, laughing. “He listens to you better than Vax.” Her shoes were left in the doorway, and she was now carrying her socks and jeans. Vex crouches on the floor and towels Trinket dry as best she can.

“I’m going to put the towels in the dryer while you shower.” Percy gathers up the pile he’d dumped on the tile.

“Toss my clothes in there at the same time,” Vex offers. “Saves time.” She shoos him and Trinket out, closes the door to finish undressing, and sticks her clothes out to add to the towel pile. There’s one more dry towel for her left in his bathroom cabinet, which is a blessing. Air drying in Percy’s bathroom was not her idea of a fun afternoon.

She and Vax had had mostly long lasting hot water for the past few months unless someone had to wash their hair, but the benefits of fancy apartments were something she would happily take advantage of. When she’s sufficiently past warmed up and her hair detangled, Vex towels dry and peeks her head out of the door. There’s a pile of folded clothes with a note that reads _“Until your clothes are dry – Percy.”_ They’d been dancing around some sort of courtship for a while now, and while Vex usually would lounge in the towel for the remainder of the dryer cycle, she pulls the clothes into the bathroom. For once, she doesn’t want to run headlong into something, but wearing probably the only pair of pyjama pants Percy owned and a worn tee-shirt was a good and easy step.

Trinket greets her at the door again, fur even drier than before, and Vex pets him fondly before peeking into rooms only to find Percy on the sofa with the phonebook on his lap. He doesn’t look up when she pads over, so she leans over the back of the sofa and lets her wet braid drip on the pages. “Who even uses those anymore?”

Percy shuts the book and moves her braid back to her side of the couch. “You’re absolutely right, why would I want to look here to find local places to order takeout in a rainstorm.” He shifts over and yelps when Vex takes the opportunity to clamber over the couch and drop down in the vacated space. Trinket mushes his face against Percy’s leg. “No dogs on the couch, not while Cass still lives here.” But Percy scratches his head amicably.

Vex hums. “Just order a pizza or two and have them pick up a can or two of dog food on the way.” She wasn’t about to suggest driving to a grocery store, but Trinket would beg for a slice and only Vax has the heart to feed him bits of crust.

Percy looks at her like she’s mad. “Can you just do that to the delivery person?”

Vex shrugs. “You’re paying for the food, and you just promise them a big tip.” 

And so an hour later, Percy came back into his apartment with two pizzas and a bag with cans of dog food. Trinket almost knocks him over while he dumps the contents onto a plate, eager to eat whatever had been placed at dog level. “Thanks, darling,” Vex says, sliding up and opening the pizza boxes. She knows Cass’s rule about no food on the couch, so she hops up onto the counter so she’s in front of Percy when he finishes putting down Trinket’s food. “Did I interrupt you when I called?”

“No, I was happy to rescue you.” This earns him a greasy kiss on his nose. “Really, I wasn’t about to let you melt or get sick from all the rain.” Percy adjusts his glasses and reaches for a slice of pizza.

“It’s nice to know someone who’s there to answer my every beck and call. I should take advantage more often.” She winks and finishes her first slice.

“Mm, would you—ah—like something to drink? Water? Alcohol?” The tips of Percy’s ears are colored with a creeping blush.

“Fancy alcohol sounds like the perfect paring for pizza.” She watches, amused as Trinket follows Percy as he moves about the kitchen getting glasses and pouring whatever liquor he had most readily available. She happily takes the glass and gets a second slice. “So, anything new?”

Percy tells her about whatever new project he’s come up with since they last saw each other. She understands only a small fraction of what he’s saying, but seeing him animated and enthusiastic is always a pleasure. Usually he’s reserved and formal and sometimes incredibly dark. Vex feels like his happiness is a gift just for her. (It’s a stupid thought, brought on probably from a harrowing morning being drenched and the drink she just had.}

Neither of them notice when Cassandra comes in until she makes some ungodly noise when Trinket rushes up to her. “Percival! What is a _dog_ doing in our apartment?” However, when she rounds the corner and sees the two of them in the kitchen, she simply says, “oh,” and crouches slightly to scratch Trinket’s head.

Vex waves over Percy’s shoulder. “Trinket, leave the poor girl alone.” She gestures to the pizza. “You’re welcome to have some, Cass,” she says. Trinket flops on the ground near the door with a wuffle.

Cassandra eyes the pizza suspiciously before taking a slice and disappearing into her room. Before the door closes, she calls back, “Percival, if she’s sleeping over, remember, no dogs on the bed!”

Percy sputters and Vex bursts out laughing. “I’ll only sleep over if you ask nicely, but I think Trinket might prefer to slobber all over Vax’s pillow tonight.” She ruffles Percy’s hair and slides off the counter. “Although I wouldn’t be opposed to watching a movie or seeing what you’ve been working on before I’m forced out on the street.”

“I would never,” he says hastily, but he’s completely serious. He refills their glasses and presses one into her hand again before heading off toward his workspace, assuming she’ll follow. (She’s definitely not thinking about pressing him into the table and kissing him, not one thought.)

It’s still raining, she can see it through the living room windows and again in his workspace, where he clears off one of the desks and pulls out some tech board, presumably whatever he’d been talking about a little while ago. She’s painfully aware of how close she’s standing and how grateful she is that he’d saved her a long and miserable walk home. And that she’s wearing his clothes and the dryer load has been done for ages and neither of them mentioned her getting her clothes back. She knows in a half hour, Vax will be on his break and want to check in and she should send him a text to let him know she’s fine, but all she really wants to do is kiss Percy, damnit. She downs the rest of the alcohol, slams the glass on the desk, and looks right at Percy when he’s startled mid sentence by the sudden noise.

He barely gets half a word out before she’s on her toes kissing him and oh gods, why hadn’t she done this before during any of their near misses? When he grabs the extra fabric of her borrowed shirt and takes a small step forward, she knows this was _absolutely_ the right thing to do. His mouth is soft and warm and she doesn’t even care about his chapped lips. Trinket’s head butting into her knee has her breathing a soft “oh” and glancing down at the dog now sitting beside of them, staring while his tail wags, sweeping across the floor. Percy’s gone full red by now, but he hasn’t let go, and Vex laughs a bit and tucks her head under his chin. It’s easy enough and Trinket whines at them while breath catching turns into laughter.

“Does this mean I’m the most brilliant person you’ve ever met?”

She looks up to see him grinning down at her, and so she kisses him again softly. “You’re the most brilliant idiot I’ve ever had the pleasure of loving.” If he starts at the phrase, he makes a miraculous recovery, and kisses her back enthusiastically. 


End file.
